1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to rapid discharge railroad cars, and more particularly to devices that unload rapid discharge railroad cars.
2. Related Art
Coal is often transported to processing or power plants by railroad cars. In the past, the plants have kept the railcars and unloaded the coal as needed. Unfortunately, such an unloading system utilized the railcars themselves for storage, so that the railcars are unavailable for use delivering coal. Therefore, coal processors have had to find other ways to unload coal trains and return the railcars to the railroad in shorter time periods, such as within eight hours for a 100 car train.
It has been suggested to unload the railcars by dumping the coal into a large pit, and then using conveyor belts to move the coal out of the pit. It will be appreciated, however, that the construction of a large pit required a large capital expense that is difficult to recover. In addition, construction of a large pit requires permits which can be difficult to obtain because they can interfere with underground water sources. Furthermore, deep pits can be difficult to maintain because they can interfere with the water table.